2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Zawalski
A Polish surname derived from a geographic name related to a valley or ravine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Zawalski. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zawalski surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Zawalski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zawalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zawalski
The surname Zawalski has its origins in Poland, a country with a rich tapestry of historical and cultural evolution. Its foundation can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 14th and 15th centuries, when surnames began to be formally recorded. The name Zawalski is an example of a toponymic surname, which means it is derived from a place or geographic feature.
The root of the surname Zawalski lies in the Polish word "zawal," which means "collapse" or "landslide." This could suggest that the original bearers of the name might have lived near an area prone to landslides or collapses. Another possibility is that the name is derived from a village or locality named Zawał. Adding the suffix -ski, common in Polish surnames, indicates a person belonging to or originating from a place. Hence, Zawalski means "one from the place of collapse" or "one from Zawał."
One of the earliest documented references to the surname appears in the 16th century. A notable record from this period includes Jan Zawalski, who was mentioned in a land grant in 1582 in the Mazovia region. This region, encompassing parts of central and eastern Poland, was a hotspot for evolving societal norms and played a pivotal role in shaping the structure of Polish surnames.
In the 17th century, Piotr Zawalski served as a notable officer in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Born in 1624, he made significant contributions to the military campaigns against the Ottoman Empire, and his legacy is recorded in several military annals from that period.
Moving to the 18th century, Katarzyna Zawalska, born in 1723, became a prominent figure in the Polish Enlightenment. As an accomplished poet and author, her works contributed to the burgeoning literary scene of Poland. Her writings often reflected the socio-political struggles of her homeland and highlighted her intellectual prowess.
The surname continued to gain prominence in the 19th century with figures such as Stanisław Zawalski, born in 1809, known for his philanthropic efforts. An industrialist by profession, he established several schools and hospitals in the Velkopolska region, demonstrating the surname’s association with charity and public service.
In the 20th century, Maria Zawalska, a scientist born in 1921, made significant contributions to the field of chemistry. Her research in organic chemistry led to several advancements and earned her recognition within academic circles in Poland and abroad.
The history of the surname Zawalski reflects a remarkable journey through Poland’s historical epochs, with individuals bearing the name contributing to a variety of fields, including military, literature, public service, and science. This surname offers a vivid glimpse into the regional and cultural identities of those who bore it, making it a fascinating subject of onomastic study.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zawalski
Among Census respondents with the surname Zawalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zawalski bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Zawalski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zawalski
Zawalski appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,500 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,243 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 4,500 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 5,243 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Zawalski surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #148,347 | #153,590 | -3.5% |
| Count | 111 | 104 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zawalski bearers went from 111 to 104 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 5,243 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #153,590.
FAQ
Zawalski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zawalski?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Zawalski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Zawalski?
Zawalski ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Zawalski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Zawalski.
Has Zawalski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zawalski went from 111 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Zawalski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zawalski, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Zawalski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zawalski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Zawalski (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Zawalski mean?
A Polish surname derived from a geographic name related to a valley or ravine. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Zawalski (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Zawalski?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.